1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention are directed to smoking articles such as cigarettes and, more particularly, to an apparatus and associated method for customizing cigarette packages configured to contain as-formed cigarettes.
2. Description of Related Art
Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge, roll, or column of smokable material such as shredded tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form) surrounded by a paper wrapper thereby forming a so-called “smokable rod” or “tobacco rod.” Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element comprises cellulose acetate tow plasticized using triacetin, and the tow is circumscribed by a paper material known as “plug wrap.” A cigarette can incorporate a filter element having multiple segments, and one of those segments can comprise activated charcoal particles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,186 to Veluz; PCT Publication No. WO 2006/064371 to Banerjea; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/226,932, filed Sep. 14, 2005, to Coleman III, et al; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Typically, the filter element is attached to one end of the tobacco rod using a circumscribing wrapping material known as “tipping paper,” in order to provide a so-called “filtered cigarette.” It also has become desirable to perforate the tipping material and plug wrap, in order to provide dilution of drawn mainstream smoke with ambient air. Descriptions of cigarettes and the various components thereof are set forth Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) (1999). A cigarette is employed by a smoker by lighting one end thereof and burning the tobacco rod. The smoker then receives mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the filter or mouth end) of the cigarette.
Various attempts to alter the visual attributes of cigarettes have been proposed. For example, there have been attempts to alter the color of the wrapping materials that provide the wrapping material of the tobacco rod (e.g., cigarettes marketed under the trade name “More” by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company possess cigarette rod wrapping papers exhibiting a brown color) and tipping materials used to attach the tobacco rod to the filter element (e.g., tipping materials have been printed or otherwise formed so as to possess a “cork” appearance and/or to possess at least one circumscribing ring). In addition, there have been attempts to alter the general appearance of the filter elements of cigarettes. See, for example, the types of cigarette filter element formats, configurations and designs set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,663 to Schultz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,525 to Berger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,763 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,736 to Keith; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,385 to Chumney, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,814 to Raker; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/377,630, filed Mar. 16, 2006, to Crooks et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In any instance, as-formed cigarettes may be typically provided to a cigarette packaging device, where the as-formed cigarettes are loaded into a package or otherwise suitable container. In this regard, manufacturing and packaging of relatively small quantities, lots, or batches of finished cigarettes having consistent quality can be provided in an automated fashion. Representative cigarette packages are of the types that traditionally have been employed for the commercial distribution and sale of smoking articles, such as cigarettes. See also, for example, the types of cigarette package configurations and packaging materials set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,353 to Focke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,463 to Bouchard; U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,497 to Focke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,734 to Allen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,140 to Burrows et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,729 to Wolfe; U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,018 to Keaveney et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,006 to Funderburk et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,261 to Thomas et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,382 to Nelson et al.; PCT WO 2005/113386 to Buse; UK Pat. Spec. 1,042,000; German Pat. App. DE 10238906 to Marx; and US Pat. Applic. Nos. 2004/0217023 to Fagg et al.; 2004/0256253 to Henson et al.; 2005/0150786 to Mitten et al.; 2006/0243611 to Wu; 2008/0093234 to Jones et al. and 2008/0099353 to Parsons et al. Such packaging may typically include indicia thereon for providing information related to the cigarette brand, manufacturer, etc. However, current cigarette packaging is typically pre-printed or otherwise printed during pre-sale production with such standard information, and thus opportunities to customize the packaging to suit the needs (e.g., advertising) of a particular seller, buyer, or other interested party may not be readily available.
In this regard, it would be desirable to provide a consumer with the ability to selectively customize a cigarette package to have a particular appearance and/or design features. That is, it would be desirable to allow a customer to alter a cigarette package in a manner such that the visual appearance of the cigarette package is in accordance with the customer's preferences. It also would be desirable to provide a cigarette package having one or more particular aspects that can be readily modified or otherwise customized in a selective manner. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method for selectively customizing cigarette packages. Such a solution should desirably involve minimal equipment, should be relatively simple and cost effective; should be portable, if necessary; should not require extensive set up and testing procedures; should facilitate maintenance thereof, and should provide ready access to the cigarette packages being processed thereby.